Daki

Daki (堕だ姫き, Daki?) was one of the primary antagonists in the Entertainment District Arc of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. She was a demon affiliated with the Twelve Kizuki, being the secondary holder of the position of Upper Rank Six (上じょう弦げんの陸ろく, Jōgen no Roku?), a position she shared with the primary holder, her older brother, Gyutaro.

Over a century ago during the Edo period, Daki was a human girl by the name of Ume (梅うめ, Ume?), who lived in the Rashomon Riverbank of Yoshiwara, the lowest class of the Entertainment District, before she and Gyutaro were turned into demons personally by Doma, who was Upper Rank Six at the time.

Appearance Daki was a tall and curvaceous woman with lime green eyes with a dark orange center, long eyelashes, and very pale skin. Her initially black hair was styled in a full, long ponytail with kanzashi hairpins (three on each side) holding up the ponytail. The kanji for "Upper Rank" (上じょう弦げん, Jōgen?) was engraved in Daki's left eye, and the daiji for "Six" (陸ろく, Roku?) was engraved on the right. She had a pink obi with black hexagon patterns on all of it, along with light grey-blue flowers with darker centers and light orange three-length lines wrapped around her waist, used as her Blood Demon Art. She sported two pink flower-like demon crests on her face, one on her cheek and another on her forehead, with light purple centers.

She wore a two-piece version of her kimono consisting of magenta pink panties tied by long, magenta bows on the sides, and two black pieces of cloth with dark magenta flower patterns that covered her chest, flowing down to her hips. She had black thigh-high stockings with magenta lines on the center, layered with white stockings with one line on each of them, and tall three-legged sanmaiba/koma-geta or mitsu-ashi shoes. After Daki's obi sashes returned to her, black cracks appeared on various parts of her body, and her hair shifted from black to pale white with lime green tips, matching her original hair color when she was human. When her elder brother Gyutaro awakened, he implanted his left eye into Daki's forehead upside-down, creating black ink-like markings (similar to those covering Gyutaro's body) around the eye as well.

Under her disguise as an oiran, she appeared to abide by the characteristics of the oiran/tayū, her hair styled in the typical date-hyōgo style with numerous Ōgi bira kanzashi hairpins decorating and supporting it, as well as traditional makeup. She also hid the flower-like crests on her face. Daki also possessed a multi-colored eye as a further disguise to her demonic nature, with the top half in a terracotta orange color and the bottom half in a lime green color with thin black pupils. She wore a large white-peach haori with black five-faced pentagonal patterns near the cuffs and hem, a dark magenta-colored Susohiki/Hikizuri (trailing skirt) kimono, and a purple juban underneath, keeping fragments of her Blood Demon Art as her obi.

Before turning into a demon, Daki was a young girl with long, disheveled white hair with messy bangs, along with pale lipstick and lapis blue eyes with long lashes. She wore a torn, pale pink kimono with irregular square patterns and horizontal lines across it. She was described as so pretty that her beauty could make adults falter.

Personality Daki was a very prideful, dismissive, and sadistic person, taking enjoyment in toying with her victims before killing them and showing no guilt for taking their lives. She thought very highly of herself, dismissing all non-Hashira Demon Slayers as not worth her time, and becoming incensed when Tanjiro Kamado spoke to her, because she looked down on him. This was also shown when Daki said she might spare Tanjiro if he told her how many Demon Slayers were present in the Entertainment District and when she openly expressed boredom with the Demon Slayer's techniques.

Despite being over a hundred years old, she displayed childish and bratty tendencies, such as throwing tantrums, crying hysterically when things didn't go her way, and lashing out at anyone to vent her frustrations. Her venomous hostility was on full display numerous times, as she was both verbally and physically abusive to anyone who displeased her. She frequently used the word for princess, "Hime," at the end of her assumed identities because she believed herself superior to others. She also had a habit of angling her head to the side and glaring at others when criticized.

As an oiran, Daki was extremely cruel, pulling on a young girl's ear for not cleaning her room, yelling at attendants, and punching Zenitsu Agatsuma into another room for merely touching her. She preferred to eat people she considered beautiful or strong, while killing others who annoyed her and leaving their bodies behind.

Daki's disdainful demeanor bordered on sociopathic. She harassed many of her fellow workers to the point where they left in despair purely because they annoyed or retorted her, showing no traces of guilt. Instead, she deflected blame onto her victims. Her pride led her to disregard everyone, including her House's owners, as she flaunted her status as their central source of income to silence their objections. Despite her faults, she was an exceptionally skilled courtesan whose identities always earned great fame and significant earnings.

Daki hailed her transformation into a demon as the greatest thing that had ever happened to her, denouncing her humanity in front of Tanjiro and claiming she could do anything she pleased. However, Daki also had a deep fear of fire due to having been burned alive during her human life. This fear was evident when she screamed hysterically after Nezuko set her ablaze with her Blood Demon Art.

In stark contrast to her domineering exterior, Daki was fanatically loyal to Muzan, bowing her head and speaking meekly in his presence, visibly terrified and mesmerized by him. She also had a complex relationship with her brother, Gyutaro. Despite insulting him when they failed, Daki possessed genuine love for him, as seen in Limbo when she refused to abandon him and promised to always stay by his side, even in Hell.

Gyutaro noted that as a human, Daki was easily influenced and impressionable, taking to heart the words and traits of those she trusted, such as Muzan's manipulations. He believed that her selfish nature stemmed from how he raised her in poverty, encouraging her to take from others to survive. Had she grown up in a proper household, he believed she would have developed a kind and selfless personality.

Abilities Overall Abilities As the secondary holder of Upper Rank Six, Daki was an extremely powerful demon, having killed and devoured seven Hashira in the past. Her flesh detachment in the form of an sentient obi sash was strong enough to hold off the combined efforts of Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, Makio, and Suma, the former two being seasoned Demon Slayers while the latter two being experienced kunoichi. Even while weakened due to dispersing her power through her obi across the city, she already proved a handful for Tanjiro Kamado, who had begun to actively use the Hinokami Kagura in combat.

After her sentient flesh obi spread across the entire city had returned to her, Daki regained her full strength. In this form, her speed was incomparable from before and her sashes also become more durable, allowing them to slice Nezuko Kamado's body in half and destroy an entire street's worth of buildings with ease. Furthermore, once Gyutaro's eye was implanted in her, Daki's power was amplified once again, giving her improved speed and reflexes that enabled her to outclass the likes of Zenitsu's Thunderclap and Flash technique. This also allowed Daki to coordinate her attacks with her brother, drastically increasing their offensive output and easily turning the tables against the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and even Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira.

Keen Intellect: Daki possessed above average levels of intellect. She was able to lure and trap courtesans for over a century without being caught, and was able to effectively blend in with all the other inhabitants in Yoshiwara without being noticed by Tengen, who possesses extremely sharp senses. As an Oiran, Daki would also have had high education to climb to her position. Furthermore, Daki was able to discern that Zenitsu was a Demon Slayer after noticing his defensive posture in a single glance.

Skilled Courtesan: Daki had unparalleled skills as a courtesan, with her many identities being well known through the Entertainment District's history which brought great fortunes to houses that hosted her. She in turn used her elevated status to get away with many of her abusive practices.

Demon Abilities Hair Manipulation: Daki possessed the ability to manipulate her own hair, possibly as an extension of her shapeshifting and flesh manipulation abilities. She briefly displayed this when she shifted her hair color from white to black, and even turning it into a weapon as she attempted to attack Inosuke by wrapping her hair around his arms after he successfully decapitated her and took her head from her body to prevent her from reattaching it.

Immense Regeneration: As an Upper Rank demon, Daki possessed advanced regenerative abilities, easily regrowing her severed obi sashes after they were cut off and later regenerated her leg after it was torn off by Tanjiro. She could also recover from Nezuko's powerful kicks that destroyed her head and pierced her torso within seconds. Daki also displayed the ability to heal from Nezuko's pyrokinetic Blood Demon Art that can slow down the regeneration of demons. Later, she was also shown to be able to easily reattach her severed head despite being repeatedly decapitated by Tengen and Inosuke.

Restricted Flight: Daki briefly displayed the ability to levitate in the air though unknown means, though it is implied that her sashes have a part to play in it.

Shared Biology: Gyutaro and Daki possessed a rather abnormal trait not seen in most demons. Despite the fact the siblings are two different people, the two have essentially a single body. This can be seen with how Gyutaro normally remains concealed within Daki without altering her physical mass in the slightest. Even though Gyutaro was inactive for the majority of the time, he was still more powerful than his sister who was an active predator. This implies that humans consumed by Daki also serve as nutrition for Gyutaro, allowing the two to grow stronger at the same time. Gyutaro also had control over his sister, being capable of not only reattaching her head for her, but also healing her burnt tissue for her when she was under emotional distress.

Decapitation Immunity: Daki had a unique immunity to decapitation by Nichirin Swords thanks to her connection with Gyutaro, whether it be when he is "sleeping" inside of her or when his "core" is implanted inside of her body. This is showcased when, despite being repeatedly decapitated by Tengen and Inosuke, Daki's body showed absolutely no signs of disintegration. As the Demon Slayers quickly realize, the only way to bypass this immunity is if Gyutaro himself is simultaneously decapitated alongside her.

Physical Abilities Immense Speed & Reflexes: Daki was extremely fast, shown when she could effortlessly keep up with Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura techniques to the point she remarked that it was boring. Like all Upper Rank demons, Daki could move so fast that she appeared to teleport. After she became whole with her dispersed obi sashes, Daki's speed increased drastically, such that it was incomparable from before. Her speed increases even more after Gyutaro awakens, allowing her to keep up with Zenitsu's Thunderclap and Flash technique and successfully react to Tengen's explosives.

Immense Strength: As an Upper Rank demon who harbored an extremely high concentration of Muzan Kibutsuji's blood, Daki possessed incredible physical strength.

Unlimited Stamina & Endurance: Like all demons, Daki had infinite stamina and endurance. This was mainly displayed when she barely flinched and continued fighting nonchalantly when her obi sashes, which are extensions of her own body, were cut by the Demon Slayers, with the exception of Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura techniques.

Supernatural Abilities Extrasensory Perception: Daki had the ability to share her senses and mind with her elder brother, and also allowed him to control her body by implanting one of his eyes into her forehead. Through this eye and the link, she can send him logistical information in order for them to better coordinate their attacks.

Fighting Style Blood Demon Art Obi Sash Manipulation: Daki's Blood Demon Art allowed her to create flower-patterned obi sashes from her flesh, as well as freely manipulating them at will. Daki often created these sashes from her back and retracts them back into her body when not in use. She has also displayed the ability to exert control over her obi from extremely far distances. Her sashes are noted to be soft like silk yet as sharp as a Nichirin Sword.